Known manual control devices for a bicycle comprise one or more manual actuation members, of the lever or small lever type, namely rigid bodies actuated with a rotary movement about a pivot or fulcrum, or of the button type, namely actuated with a linear movement, said manual actuation members being actuatable with one finger or with plural fingers. Typically, the manual actuation members are supported by a support body suitable for fixing at a grip portion of the handlebars.
In the case of manual control devices for imparting at least one electrical-electronic command (in the case of electromechanical, electronic or electric equipment), the manual actuation members typically act on respective electric switches, of the microswitch type, each including a deformable dome-shaped diaphragm. In order to switch the switches, an actuation head of or connected to the respective manual actuation member faces the deformable diaphragm in the rest condition of the manual actuation member, and acts by pushing on the deformable diaphragm in the actuation condition of the manual actuation member.
In greater detail, a bicycle is typically equipped with a rear brake associated with the rear wheel and/or a front brake associated with the front wheel, each of which is controlled by a manual actuation member, typically by a brake lever pivoted to a support body to actuate the brake when it is pulled towards the handlebars.
In particular, in high-performance bicycles, it is becoming increasingly common—as an alternative to the actuation of the brake through traction by the brake lever of a sheathed inextensible cable (Bowden cable)—to use hydraulic braking systems, wherein the force exerted by the cyclist's hand on the brake lever is suitably transferred to a hydraulic assembly housed in the support body and connected through suitable ducts to the braking members. A hydraulic fluid is put under pressure in the hydraulic assembly by the actuation of the brake lever and the pressure is transmitted to the braking members causing, for example, the clamping of jaws around the rim of the wheel (rim brake) or on a hydraulic cylinder fixedly connected to the wheel (drum brake) or the pressing of pads against a disc fixedly connected to the wheel (disc brake).
As stated above, the hydraulic assembly can moreover be used to actuate a different hydraulic equipment.
The hydraulic assembly in general comprises a hydraulic cylinder, a piston slidable in the hydraulic cylinder, and a connection between the manual actuation member and the piston; it can further comprise a reservoir to compensate for variations in volume of the hydraulic fluid due to temperature variations, wearing of the parts, leaks, etc.; it can further comprise members for adjusting the rest position of the lever and/or the start-of-activation position of the hydraulic equipment.
In patent application EP 2749484A1, the hydraulic cylinder and the reservoir of the hydraulic assembly are made in one piece with the support body, in particular the support body provides for a substantially cylindrical cavity that defines the inner walls of the hydraulic cylinder.
A bicycle is also typically equipped with a motion transmission system, which comprises a chain extending between toothed wheels associated with the axle of the pedal cranks and with the hub of the rear wheel. When there is a set or pack of toothed wheels at at least one of the axle of the pedal cranks and the hub of the rear wheel, a gearshift is provided comprising a front derailleur and/or a rear derailleur to move the chain in engagement with a selected toothed wheel of the respective pack of toothed wheels in order to change the gear ratio.
In a per se known way, in the case of an electronically servo-assisted gearshift—briefly electronic gearshift —, the chain guide is moved through an electromechanical actuator and possibly a suitable linkage; the manual control device correspondingly comprises one or more electric switches to impart gearshifting request signals to a controller of the actuator. The switches are in turn controlled by one or more manual actuation members, which can be of lever or button type.
Again in a per se well known way, in the case of a mechanical gearshift, the chain guide is moved by a suitable linkage controlled through the traction and release of an inextensible cable, usually sheathed (Bowden cable); in the manual control device there is a mechanism for controlling the traction of the cable, typically comprising a cable-winding bush and an indexer to determine the rotation and the stopping of the cable-winding bush in predetermined positions—“indexed bush” or “bush-indexer assembly”—as well as one or more manual actuation members, typically of lever type, to control the bush-indexer assembly.
A bicycle can also be equipped with a cycle-computer or other electronic device, which can be at least partially controlled by one or more manual actuation members—typically of the button type—positioned on a manual control device.
Other bicycle equipments can comprise hydraulic, mechanical or electromechanical suspensions, adjustable seat posts, lighting devices such as front lights, luminous signalling devices such as turning indicators or presence indicators, which can also be at least partially controlled by one or more manual actuation members positioned on a manual control device.
In a typical configuration, two manual control devices—or only one of the two in the case of less equipped bicycles—are mounted so as to be easily manoeuvred by the cyclist, usually on the handlebars, close to the handgrips thereof.
Each manual control device typically allows the control both of a brake—typically the front brake through the left manual control device, and the rear brake through the right manual control device—and of the gearshift. In some configurations, the left manual control device allows control in the two directions of the front derailleur, and the right manual control device allows control in the two directions of the rear derailleur. In other electronic gearshift configurations, one or the two manual control devices can be used to impart a command to increase the gear ratio and a command to reduce the gear ratio, the controller of the actuators suitably driving the front and/or rear derailleur depending on circumstances.
Manual control devices must be as ergonomic as possible to allow the cyclist to have easy actuation of their manual actuation members when he/she grips the handlebars—a condition that will be indicated hereinafter as first travel condition.
Moreover, in the case of curved handlebars for racing bicycles (drop bar), the support body—which in this case extends projecting forwards in the travel direction from the handlebars—is typically configured to provide the cyclist with an alternative grip to gripping the handlebars, a grip that must allow him/her to guide the bicycle and simultaneously actuate the manual actuation members supported thereby—a condition that will be indicated hereinafter as second travel condition.
Manual control devices for such drop bar handlebars are sometimes provided with a protuberance at the top of the part furthest from the handlebars, which should in general allow the hand of the cyclist to be stopped so that it does not slip forwards when the support body is gripped in the second travel condition. In some manual control devices, the protuberance itself is sized and configured so as to provide the cyclist with a further grip—in a condition that will be indicated hereinafter as third travel condition; in this case it is also desirable for the geometry of the manual control device to be such as to allow the bicycle to be guided and simultaneously at least the brake lever to be actuated.
EP 1964763A1 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 8,272,292 discloses a manual control device of a mechanical brake and of an electronic gearshift (or other electric, electronic or electromechanical equipment) for drop bar handlebars, comprising a support body provided with a protuberance that can be gripped in the aforementioned terms. The support body carries at least one switch, a respective actuation element and a respective manual actuation member. The manual control device comprises a transmission mechanism arranged between the manual actuation member and the actuation element.
Through the provision of the transmission mechanism for transmitting the movement of the manual actuation member to the actuation element of the switch, the switch can be displaced in an area further inside the control device, less exposed to the external environment. More in particular, a switch unit is partially received inside a cavity of the support body, the transmission mechanism comprises a shaft rotatably supported in the support body, the manual actuation member is in the form of a lever associated with a first end of the shaft, and the shaft has a transversal protuberance in the form of a hammer acting on the switch at a second end.
EP 2749484A1 cited above discloses a manual control device of a hydraulic brake and of a mechanical gearshift for drop bar handlebars comprising a support body extending longitudinally between a first side provided for fixing to the handlebars and a second side, and having a protuberance at the top of the second side that cannot be gripped, namely not configured to allow the aforementioned third travel condition. In order to allow the aforementioned second travel condition wherein the cyclist grips the support body, the document provides that the hydraulic cylinder of the hydraulic assembly is formed in the support body closer toward the second side of the support body with respect to the control mechanism of the gearshift and defines a hydraulic cylinder axis forming an angle comprised between 20° and 50° with the axis of the cable-winding bush. In this way, the increase in size of the support body is minimized still allowing the hydraulic cylinder to be inclined, rather than perpendicular, with respect to the brake lever so as to be able to be easily actuated by the latter.
The Applicant observes that firstly, in the aforementioned second travel condition, the cyclist risks losing grip on the support body of such a manual control device because the palm of the hand can slip forwards on the upper surface of the support body. Indeed, although the hydraulic assembly generates a small protuberance, this is not sufficient to stop the hand of the cyclist. Moreover, as already stated, the protuberance of such a document cannot be gripped, namely the manual control device is not configured to allow the aforementioned third travel condition.
The technical problem at the basis of the invention is to avoid such a drawback by making a manual control device for a bicycle for imparting a command to at least one hydraulic equipment of a bicycle, which is particularly ergonomic and which in particular effectively provides the aforementioned three travel conditions.